Brightburg
by obsessionpersonified
Summary: A new ending. I really would like it if you read this. It might change your perspective on things.


"Buffy? Buffy?" A sweet voice called. Buffy woke up, groggily coming into focas. There stood her mom. Buffy smiled easily and tried to reach out and touch her. Only problem was she was cuffed to the bed. Buffy jumped and snapped the cuffs with her slayer strength. Unfortunatly, they didn't even budge. She looked panicked up at her mom.  
  
"Mum?" She asked, staring at Joyce with amazement. For the first time since she awoke she remembered. The First! She had to save the slayers! There was so much work to be done!  
  
....and....  
  
Her mom had been dead for a long while now.  
  
"Buffy sweetie I'm here now, no need to worry. Im here sweet-heart. "Joyce looked behind her. "She's lucid again doctor!"  
  
"Another hallucination." Buffy mummbled. Had to be. Just had to be.The dark- skinned doctor from before came in carrying a needle.  
  
"Now Joan, I want you to hold still." He said touching the needle to her flesh.  
  
"But... I'm Buffy." Buffy managed to gasp out as the searing pain of a needle pierced her haze. Slowly the fog drifted from her mind and she could see and hear clearer.  
  
"Better?" Joyce asked smiling. Buffy nodded.  
  
"Joan? Joan I want you to tell me what happened since you were last here." The doctor said to her. Buffy searched her mind.  
  
"Dawn was going to die, had to sacrafice myself." She made out, the words coming easily.  
  
"We know that. What happened after?" The Doctor provoked.  
  
"Willow went evil. Tried to destroy the world. We saved her. Or...Giles and Xander saved her. I couldn't do anything. Spike! Spike had a soul. He loved me." Buffy turned to the hallucination Mother, tears forming in her eyes. She searched Joyce's face. "If he loved me why did he do it?"  
  
"Do what dearheart?" Joyce asked, her heart breaking as he little girl cried.  
  
"No, not yet. Slayers! The almost slayers were there! They needed to help me defeat the First." Buffy exclaimed, belatedly pulling on her bindings.  
  
"The FIrst?" Joyce asked. The Doctor put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"She calls it the First. Ultimate Evil. Undefeatable." The doctor explained. Buffy let a small smirk cross over her face.  
  
"Not undefeatable. Cause we did it! Well... Spike did it. And he died." Buffy bit her lip. "And we went to London. I loved it there!the almost- slayers were slayers now and I didn't have to work so hard...not even a little."  
  
"Joan?" The doctor prompted again. Turning tear washed hazel eyes to him her frown deepened.  
  
"It was getting hard. Giles supporting me and Xander and Willow and Dawn. Then Willow got a job. At a magic place with all the other Wiccan! She was so happy. It was nice." Buffy smiled softly. "So nice to see Willow so happy."  
  
"That's good." Joyce cooed. The Doctor crossed off Willow from his list and turned back to his patient.  
  
"I can't believe I didn't see it." Buffy announced, curling best she could into her mother's hallucination. "Xander and Dawn... they loved each other. Got married with a big wedding. Daddy paid for it. She wanted Willow for her maid of honor and Giles to give her away. She forgot about me. It was easy to."  
  
"Very good Joan, just let it out." The doctor soothed, crossing two more names off his list. Buffy giggled a bit.  
  
"I learned a secret. Giles was gay! He moved in with a man named Ethan." Her face lost its girlish blush. "He left me alone."  
  
"Joan, what happened to Anya?" Joyce asked. Buffy caught herself slipping into the haze and againa nd shook her head to clear it.  
  
"Died. Anya Died against the big fight with the First." Buffy said shortly, not wanting to talk about it.  
  
"And Angel?" Doctor asked gently. A scared expression flew over Buffy's face.  
  
"He....No. "Buffy shook her head. "Spike came back. Was living with Angel. It was funny. They fought so often.But... it wasn't funny later."  
  
"Joan?" Joyce asked. Buffy sat up and serched her faux-mothers face, tears streaming silently down her face.  
  
"I was still cookie dough. But, Angel... he healed himself. He got rid of the gypsy's curse and kept his soul!" Buffy looked panicked at her mother's face. "He didn't want me. He wanted..."  
  
"Its okay Joan we can stop for now if you want to." Doctor said, motioning for Joyce to follow him. Buffy Screamed.  
  
"Im not JOAN! I'M BUFFY! BUFFY!" She shouted straining against her bonds. After a minute she fell back and stared up at the ceiling silent tears trailed thier way down her grubby face. "Im Buffy."  
  
"Where did she get the name Buffy. Its very unique." Doctor asked, watching Buffy from the one way mirror. Joyce turned to him and smiled a little.  
  
"Her dog. It was fluffy and she wanted to call her that But I wanted to call her Bunny. We settled with a mix. Buffy." Joyce turned away from her daughter. "Is there any hope of her being able to come home?"  
  
"Before? No. But now... Now she is almost healed. She took care of her friends." Doctor looked his board over again. "Last time she tried to kill them but her mind wouldn't let her. This way, subtly, she's given them happy endings."  
  
"I'm glad." Joyce smiled sadly and walked away with the Doctor.  
  
Far far away in another demension six people stood over a grave. A brunette turned into her husband and weeped, his arm around her as he saved his tears for later. The redhead cried openly, her long flowing dress billowing in the slight breeze. Three men stood side by side, two closer than the third. The white-blonde stared at the grave, barely able to keep in his rage. The dark haird man beside him was silently grieving the loss. A graying man showed his pain for all but had no tears left. The pale blonde stalked off, kicking a headstone along the way and destroying it. It was his only way to mourn her loss. The grave was abandoned as they rest followed.  
  
Here lies Buffy Summers.  
Original Slayer.  
She saved the world so many times she was taken for granted.  
And in a bleak moment when the world turned its back,  
and her friends left her  
She doubted herself.  
One of a kind, turned first of a kind  
Not an individual.  
And we could not help.  
We refused to help  
for selfish reasons  
So, lost and alone  
terrified of an unknown future  
and without friendship or love  
She took her life.  
Here lies Buffy Summers  
Original Slayer.  
She sacraficed more than herself for us  
More times than we know  
And when she needed us,  
we took advantage of the courage she's shown before  
We did not deserve her  
Could not understand  
That she gave her heart mind, and body to us.  
Shattering her soul  
To save us from Hell  
Only to pick up the sharp pieces  
to bind herself together again.  
Each time though, she missed a few pieces.  
Until finally she only had one small shard left.  
because of us she lost that piece  
Sentenced to her own personal Hell,  
Governed by her so-called friends  
and we can only hope  
and wish  
and pray  
That she forgives us.  
And is happier where she is  
  
Eighteen months later  
  
Joan Ann Summers smiled at Doctor Rupert as she held the soft Cat Willow in her arms.  
  
"Thank you, for everything." She said softly. The Doctor smiled and with a comment to say hello to her mother, sent her off.  
  
Joan smiled to herself. She was free. It was hard sometimes to remember herself as Joan, the sixteen year old, instead of Buffy, Twenty eight. She could handle it though. She wasn't a Slayer. Didn't have a cosmic destiny. But she was special. She didn't need one. Almost skipping hope she passed an alley and held tightly to WIllow as she hissed. Walking an arch around the Alley Joan stared down it, but, being a teenager, quickly lost her wariness and returned to her skipping. Dusk settled on the housses like a fine cloak and Joan was happy to be in the small town of Brightburg. Everything was perfect.  
  
A figure sauntered out of the alley and watched the bright haired teenager dissapear. A smirk formed over his lush lips.  
  
"Well well well. If it isn't Goldylocks." He said with relish. Grinding the ciggerette under his heel he followed the skipping girl. Then paused.  
  
He turned back and stared directly at you.  
  
"Oh come on now you stupid Bint. You really think I'd let her go?" Spike scoffed then, with a wink, ran after his one true love.  
  
You know what?  
  
Loves a funny thing. 


End file.
